Rafael Nadal through to Round 2

Rafael Nadal lost the first set of his match against Daniel Brand, but then came through to win the next three sets to progress to the second round of the French Open.

Despite the ‘blip’ on the graph for the Spaniard, Paddypower still have Nadal as odds on favourite, betting online odds are currently 8/11 and will probably shorten as the tournament progress. The German, Brands ranked 53 in the world provided Rafael Nadal with a stern test being one set down and 0-3 in the second set.

Rafael showed his pedigree and experience by keeping his cool and letting his tennis overcome his opponent. Brand success to did come from having a strong serve and producing perfect ground strokes, which frustrated the Spaniard. But Nadal forced his way to win the second set, and then had to fight off no less than three break points to win the third set. The fourth set was a lot more comfortable for Rafael, with two breaks making sure of the win.

The latest win means that Rafael Nadal has now won 53 singles matches at the French Open, with the only other players with more wins in the tournament being Federer (55) and Vilas (56). Expectations are high for Nadal to come away with the French Open title, and continue his winning ways since coming back to the game after his knee injury which had him out for seven months.

Round two will see Nadal come up against the Slovakian Martin Klizan, who is currently world number 35. Nadal fans and supporters will be hoping their player will not have to exert too much energy to win the match. If bookmakers are anything to go by, and let’s face it, they are hardly ever wrong, Nadal is a certainty to go through to the next round. Paddpower has priced Nadal 1/500 to win the match, and anyone fancying the upset, Klizan is 40/1.